Francis Alÿs

Francis Alÿs' series of small paintings collectively entitled The Prophet (begun in 1992) partake in the venerable and specific tradition of Catholic devotional painting. Although born in French-speaking Belgium, Alÿs has lived in Mexico for almost 20 years, and his intimately scaled paintings are reminiscent of Mexican retablos. A number of paintings in this ever-growing series, which numbers more than 30 works, feature subjects that are overtly religious, such as one figure blessing a second kneeling figure. Other motifs are more ambiguous, from the figure who folds his hands behind his back in a pose of contemplation or submission to an odd vignette of a woman walking with one leg stuck in a clay urn. There is an element of parable in these works, but their iconography indicates no specific religious doctrine. They share with their traditional counterparts an intense quiet and almost sacred air created not only by their allusive yet nonspecific content, but also by the dense opacity of their coolly colored surfaces. Alÿs has said these works are "little windows" onto a more spiritual plane; one that the artist may or may not believe exists. For him, it is the very possibility of its existence that is significant.

Selected Bibliography:

Alÿs, Francis, and Catherine Lampert. Francis Alÿs. Madrid: Turner, 2003.

Heiser, Jörg. "Walk on the Wild Side." Frieze, no. 69 (September 2002): 70–73.

Martin, Patricia, ed. Edén. Exhibition catalogue. Mexico City: La colección Jumex, 2004.

Medina, Cuauhtémoc. "Recent Political Forms: Radical Pursuits in Mexico/Formas políticas recientes: búsquedas radicales en México/Santiago Sierra. Francis Alÿs. Minerva Cuevas." Trans>arts.cultures.media, no. 8 (2000): 146–63.

Parkett, no. 69 (2003): 18–59. Special section, including essays by Kitty Scott, Saul Anton, and Robert Storr.

Links:

Lisson Gallery

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